League or knock-out there was only one champion. It was fitting that the most consistent side in the tournament held their nerve to clinch a thriller. The Chennai Super Kings summoned every ounce of their reserves to take the match to the wire but a calm swat from Sohail Tanvir, when one was needed off the last ball, sparked some heady celebrations in the Rajasthan Royals' dug-out. The least expensive side in the league had completed the coup that had those winning 13 of their 16 matches.
A galaxy of international stars might have added fizz to the IPL but it was India's most improved domestic player who sparkled in the tense final at the DY Patil Stadium. Few outside India might have heard of Yusuf Pathan before this tournament but he imposed himself on the grand stage, snaffling three wickets before smashing a scintillating 56, setting the stage for the inspirational Shane Warne to pull off the last-ball nailbiter.
Chasing 164 wasn't going to be easy on the slightly two-paced surface and Rajasthan were hobbling at 42 for 3 but the 65-run stand between Yusuf and Shane Watson provided the impetus. Another mini-collapse put them in a spot but Warne and Tanvir put on 21 in a harum-scarum final leg. Chennai's sloppy fielding didn't help but the batsmen ensured they didn't lose their head.
L Balaji, who got a pasting in the first three overs, was brought on with eight needed off the final over. Three tight deliveries piled on the pressure before a costly wide, which also produced a bye, tilted the balance. With three needed off 2 balls, Tanvir hurried two to deep midwicket before settling the victory in the final ball. The best bowler of the tournament did his side a big service with the bat. Warne's mighty embrace suggested much.
The base was set by Yusuf's ballistic, yet fortuitous, fifty. Chennai will rue the chance they missed in the 11th over - Yusuf tried to loft Muttiah Muralitharan but Suresh Raina, one of India's best fielders, couldn't latch on to the skier after running from mid-on. With the asking rate approaching 10, that could have been a big blow. Murali had no answers against him in the next over, though, when he was blasted for two successive sixes over wide long-on.
Yusuf soon pounded Balaji, backing away and blitzing thunderbolts down the ground, and looked more like a veteran accustomed to such high-pressure situations. He looked set to run away with the match but Raina's dart-accurate throw from gully added another twist.
Yusuf was instrumental with the ball too. Just as Chennai appeared to be building partnerships he pegged them back with his fastish offbreaks. S Vidyut holed out to deep midwicket, Parthiv Patel snicked to the wicketkeeper, and Albie Morkel top-edged towards short fine leg. Not only was he the most effective of the bowlers but also the most economical - showing the ability to raise his game at the crunch.
Chennai weren't outclassed, not by a long way. Against an efficient bowling attack, with a slow outfield to consider, they strung together a fighting total. Raina and Parthiv, the duo who took them to victory last night, put on a useful 25-run stand through accumulation rather than attack, ensuring that the platform was laid for the rest of the order.
Morkel's two sixes injected some verve into the innings before Raina and Dhoni upped the ante. What could have cost them is the decision to send Chamara Kapugedera ahead of S Badrinath. Kapugedera pottered around for a 12-ball 8 and it was left to Dhoni to up the rate. The 17th over, bowled by Watson, where he conceded just three and picked up a wicket, appeared to tilt the scales but a few mighty hits from Dhoni pushed them to 163. It was the highest total at the DY Patil Stadium but only for a couple of hours.
Showing posts with label IPL Final. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IPL Final. Show all posts
Rajasthan Royals win First IPL Final
IT’S WARNIE VS DHONI
Super Sunday Set To Break TV Records
The mega final between Aussie legend Shane Warne’s Team Jaipur and the country’s coolest star M S Dhoni’s Team Chennai promises to break all records and become the biggest television spectacle in the history of Indian sport. Just sample this: A staggering 99 million viewers have already watched the IPL matches between April 18 and May 24. Even as some commentators warned of a cricket overdose, evening after evening, families have gathered before TV sets, planned dinners over weekends to set the stage for a grand finale on Super Sunday.
With glamour, hype, cliffhangers, stars and controversies, T20 has already offered a full platter. There is only one worry though: let us just hope the final too doesn’t turn out to be a tame affair like the two semifinals. If Team Jaipur won by 105 runs on Friday night, Team Chennai had it even easier winning by nine wickets. Mohali won the toss like Delhi on Friday, but elected to bat. Even this proved to be disastrous as they lost wickets in virtually every over early on.
WHO’LL WEAR THE CROWN TONIGHT?
The IPL’s been every bit the cricketing revolution it was touted to be. After 44 days, it climaxes today with a battle royale.
TV EYEBALLS
99m have tuned in so far. The expected TV audience tonight may exceed that of the T20 World Cup final Sports audience reach in India (no of people tuned in for over a minute): 1. World Cup Cricket ODI (2007): 32.8m 2. T20 final (2007): 48.3m 3. Soccer World Cup (2006): 6.7m * The Super Bowl final in 2008 was watched by 97.5 million people.
BET-O-METER
Team Jaipur: 8/11 Team Chennai: 9/11 (Ladbrokes)
STRENGTHS
A terrific bunch that has gelled superbly as a unit under the guidance of Warne, who is both captain and coach. All-rounder Shane Watson, pacer Sohail Tanvir, Asnodkar and Yusuf Pathan have all been a hit
Dhoni’s cool captaincy and the middle order. If the likes of Albie Morkel, Suresh Raina, Badrinath and Dhoni himself get going, then Team Jaipur might struggle. New ball bowlers Ntini and Gony are also a threat.
WEAKNESSES
Graeme Smith, who has scored 441 runs at an average of 49, will be missing after a recurrence of a hamstring injury. The youngsters could be under pressure in the biggest game of their lives
Stephen Fleming’s departure has further weakened the top order, putting pressure on Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina and Dhoni himself to fire. Also, Muralitharan has hardly looked the champion bowler that he is
WARHEADS
Sohail Tanvir
Albie Morkel
Shane Watson
Makhaya Ntini
Swapnil Asnodkar
S Badrinath
Yusuf Pathan
Suresh Raina
DARK HORSES
Mohammed Kaif
Parthiv Patel
ROAD TO FINALS
Won: 12, Lost: 3, In semis, beat Delhi Daredevils by 105 runs
Won: 9, Lost: 6. In semis, beat Team Mohali by 9 wickets
CROSSING SWORDS
Jaipur has won both the home and away matches against Chennai. The first was won by 8 wickets on the strength of Sohail Tanvir’s 6-14. Graeme Smith blasted 91 in the 2nd for a 10-run win
The mega final between Aussie legend Shane Warne’s Team Jaipur and the country’s coolest star M S Dhoni’s Team Chennai promises to break all records and become the biggest television spectacle in the history of Indian sport. Just sample this: A staggering 99 million viewers have already watched the IPL matches between April 18 and May 24. Even as some commentators warned of a cricket overdose, evening after evening, families have gathered before TV sets, planned dinners over weekends to set the stage for a grand finale on Super Sunday.
With glamour, hype, cliffhangers, stars and controversies, T20 has already offered a full platter. There is only one worry though: let us just hope the final too doesn’t turn out to be a tame affair like the two semifinals. If Team Jaipur won by 105 runs on Friday night, Team Chennai had it even easier winning by nine wickets. Mohali won the toss like Delhi on Friday, but elected to bat. Even this proved to be disastrous as they lost wickets in virtually every over early on.
WHO’LL WEAR THE CROWN TONIGHT?
The IPL’s been every bit the cricketing revolution it was touted to be. After 44 days, it climaxes today with a battle royale.
TV EYEBALLS
99m have tuned in so far. The expected TV audience tonight may exceed that of the T20 World Cup final Sports audience reach in India (no of people tuned in for over a minute): 1. World Cup Cricket ODI (2007): 32.8m 2. T20 final (2007): 48.3m 3. Soccer World Cup (2006): 6.7m * The Super Bowl final in 2008 was watched by 97.5 million people.
BET-O-METER
Team Jaipur: 8/11 Team Chennai: 9/11 (Ladbrokes)
STRENGTHS
A terrific bunch that has gelled superbly as a unit under the guidance of Warne, who is both captain and coach. All-rounder Shane Watson, pacer Sohail Tanvir, Asnodkar and Yusuf Pathan have all been a hit
Dhoni’s cool captaincy and the middle order. If the likes of Albie Morkel, Suresh Raina, Badrinath and Dhoni himself get going, then Team Jaipur might struggle. New ball bowlers Ntini and Gony are also a threat.
WEAKNESSES
Graeme Smith, who has scored 441 runs at an average of 49, will be missing after a recurrence of a hamstring injury. The youngsters could be under pressure in the biggest game of their lives
Stephen Fleming’s departure has further weakened the top order, putting pressure on Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina and Dhoni himself to fire. Also, Muralitharan has hardly looked the champion bowler that he is
WARHEADS
Sohail Tanvir
Albie Morkel
Shane Watson
Makhaya Ntini
Swapnil Asnodkar
S Badrinath
Yusuf Pathan
Suresh Raina
DARK HORSES
Mohammed Kaif
Parthiv Patel
ROAD TO FINALS
Won: 12, Lost: 3, In semis, beat Delhi Daredevils by 105 runs
Won: 9, Lost: 6. In semis, beat Team Mohali by 9 wickets
CROSSING SWORDS
Jaipur has won both the home and away matches against Chennai. The first was won by 8 wickets on the strength of Sohail Tanvir’s 6-14. Graeme Smith blasted 91 in the 2nd for a 10-run win
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